SLA turns LAMP spotlight on licensees

If you’ve ever wondered about the disciplinary record of a particular drinking establishment, or whether a tavern owner has applied for a license, or the proximity of a drinking establishment to churches, schools and the like, the State Liquor Authority has just unveiled something for you.

The SLA has launched a new website providing just such information, plotting every licensed wine, beer and spirits purveyor in New York — from convenience stores to chain restaurants, country clubs, fraternal organizations and neighborhood bars.

It is called by the acronym LAMP — Liquor Authority Mapping Project, and includes locations of schools, churches, police stations and community boards.

It takes a little time to learn to navigate the interactive map, especially in more populous areas where colored indicators overlap each other (the screenshot above shows the density of the heart of the Capital Region). But, once you spend a little time on it, you can call up layers that include or exclude any sorts of places you want.

For example, you can see vendors with on-premises licenses or off-premises licenses or both. You also can see various categories layered with churches and/or schools, thereby getting a statistical view of the ratio. There is a zoom factor as well, and the base map is very detailed.

At a quick glance, I was able to find out license applications are pending for such various locations as the Cannon Barrel Pub at 606 3rd Avenue in Watervliet, Junebugs Cafe at 501 East Street in Rensselaer, the Shogun Sushi and Sake Bar at 457 Madison Avenue in Albany, and The Bier Abbey at 613 Union Street in Schenectady.